Mon - Sat 9.00 - 18.00

Customer Enquiry

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Where will you walk my dog?

When we take your dog out for a walk, this is the time for him to sniff and explore his neighbourhood. Within reason and safety, we will generally let your dog lead us to where he wants to go. To keep it interesting for your dog, we will try to change the route so your dog can have new scents to sniff out. Of course, we can also keep to a set route and avoid any areas of concerns.

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Will my dog be off-leash?

We pride ourselves on safety and all private dog walks in the neighbourhood will initially be on-leash. This allows us to learn your dog’s personality, read his body language, work on training adherence and avoid any unexpected situations such as squirrels, loose dogs or other triggers. Once we have established a good relationship with your dog and have assessed his recall response we can work towards off-leash hikes.

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Can you take my dog to the dog park?

Dog parks are great but it is hard to predict who may be there during our time. Therefore, our private walks is focused on quality leashed walks that is tailored and customized to your dog’s profile to ensure that your dog is also mentally stimulated as well as getting his outdoor exercises.

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My dog doesn't like other dogs/young children/loud noises. Can you still walk my dog?

Yes, at Happy Tails Urban Adventures, we work with your dog to make sure he is never put in an uncomfortable situation. We will take steps however slowly to help your dog feel safe before moving forward. We are experienced with reactive dogs and will follow positive reinforcement protocol to help your dog feel less anxious while removing them from the uncomfortable situation quickly and safely.

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Can you train my dog as well?

We are experienced dog walkers and are well versed in positive reinforcement training methods. We are happy to follow any training plans that you can provide us to ensure consistency, however we are not trainers. If your dog requires training, we are happy to refer you to a qualified, certified trainer or behaviorist.

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Can you walk my dog at the exact time each day?

To provide the walks and care to other pets we ask for some flexibility in our scheduling. We will do our best to arrive at the requested walk time within a 2 hour window. This is to account for unexpected challenges such as weather conditions, traffic, towelling off dogs or cleaning up accidents and getting stuck at the train tracks.

For example: If you are scheduled for 3pm, you can expect your walker will arrive sometime between 2pm and 4pm. This window helps us manage constantly varying schedules and any unexpected situations.

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When does the clock start for my dog's walk?

We thrive to give your dog every minute that you have requested, if not more! However, if we noticed that your dog is no longer enjoying their walk due to weather, energy level or illness we will not force them to continue and will return him earlier. If this occurs, we can stay indoors and work on other exercises such as nose work, old or new cues, or playing brain games. Another option is to make up the time on a future walk.

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What equipment do you use?

Happy Tails Urban Adventures promotes force and pain free methods with positive reinforcement. Therefore, we will not offer dog services using any choke collars, electric/shock collars or prong collars. For your dog’s safety and comfort, please have a properly fitted harness and leash available for your dog’s walk. We will provide high-value treats and poop bags.

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Can you walk my neighbour/friend/relative's dog at the same time?

Because our private dog walks are specific to each individual dog and his personality, we would need to consider multiple dogs walk on a case by case basis.

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Why don't you offer group walks/hikes?

Our private walks are all about your dog and what his needs are. It is customized to his fitness and energy level and the time is exclusive to him. For this reason, we do not offer group walks.

Policies

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Payments

Prepayment invoices will be emailed to you based on the number of walks you would like to purchase. A tracking spreadsheet is used to mark off each walk. Services must be scheduled and completed within 6 months of invoice, no refunds or credits will be provided after the 6 months period.

Payment must be made 14 days after receiving the invoice. Invoices that are not paid after 14 days will be charged a 10% fee. Invoices outstanding after 30 days past the due date may be subject to cancellation of services.

Payment can be made by cash, electronic transfer or credit card. Cheques can be made payable to Happy Tails Urban Adventures. If paying cash please have cash in a sealed envelope with your name and invoice number clearly written on it so we can allocate it to our books. If you have paid in cash you will receive a receipt once we have received it.

Timing of Visits and Walks

Visits and walks are scheduled as per your requested time with a 2 hour window to account for unexpected issues. If for some reason we exceed this time limit, we will contact you to let you know we’re running late.

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Scheduling

It is recommended to establish a regular schedule for your dog and this helps us book your walks in advance and ensures that you receive your desired walking window. Regular schedules also help us carefully plan so that we can ensure each of our clients get the most out of every visit.

For the above reasons, we require a minimum of 24 hours advance notice to guarantee accommodation. Please be mindful of this in the event that you need to make changes to your schedule.

We will always do our best to accommodate last minute requests, however due to other clients’ commitments it is not always possible.

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Access

To ensure we maximize every minute of your pet’s visit or walk, it is imperative that Happy Tails has the necessary access to your home such as suite key, security codes or FOBs. If we arrive and is not able to take your pet out, we will contact you and wait for 10 minutes before leaving without refund. Any wait time after 5 minutes will be deducted from the visit or walk.

If you plan to be home when we arrive, please be appropriately dressed.

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Cancelations

Walks must be canceled by 5pm a day prior to the scheduled walk/visit for a full refund.

For pet-sitting and overnights, 100% refund if canceled within 4 weeks notice,50% within 2 weeks and non-refundable thereafter.

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Extreme Weather

In the best interest of both your dog and the walker, 1-hour walks will not occur if there are weather advisories such as strong storms, snow/hail or extreme heat. In either case we will go outside long enough for your dog to relieve themselves. Credit will be applied for any un-used time or supplemented with indoor exercise/playtime.

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Pet Well-being, health and safety

We reserve the right to refuse service to any pet for any reason including, without limitation, if it appears that the pet is sick, injured, in pain, or that its behaviour could jeopardize the health and safety of other pets or our staff.

All pets need to wear proper Municipal identification. Happy Tails is not liable for any fines incurred if pet is not wearing such identification.

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Multiple Dogs Walk

Requests for multiple dogs walk from the same household or apartment building is considered on a case by case basis. Please contact us for a meet and greet for this so we can better understand your needs and design the best plan for you and your pets.

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Job Sharing

Happy Tails Urban Adventures assumes no responsibilities or liabilities if individuals other than Happy Tails will also be providing pet or house sitting services.

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